“We won!”
“Oh my gosh, Senior Brother Yoon Jong won!”
“The Plum Blossom Three Swords…!”
The disciples of Mount Hua jumped up from their seats. It was like someone had lit fireworks under them! They were so excited.
Yoon Jong won!
No matter how it looked, Yoon Jong had achieved victory. It was just a practice fight, not a real fight to the death. So, no one could say his win didn’t count.
“…He really won.”
Even if Yoon Jong had lost, the disciples of Mount Hua would have patted him on the shoulder. They had seen how hard he had worked.
Because he gave his all, he won.
“What are you doing?”
Baek Cheon couldn’t stop laughing and shouted with a big smile.
“His legs are wobbly, and he can’t walk! Go help him down!”
“Yes, Senior Brother!”
“Yes, Uncle-Master!”
The disciples of Mount Hua rushed to the sparring stage. Two people could easily help one person, but they were too excited to think carefully.
“Yoon Jong-ah!”
“Senior Brother!”
Yoon Jong chuckled as he saw his older and younger brothers rushing toward him.
“Give me a hand. My legs have given way, and I can’t move.”
“What about internal injuries?”
“I’m fine.”
Everyone rushed to his side and practically lifted Yoon Jong up. They walked off the stage confidently.
“So So! Senior Brother…!”
“Wait a moment.”
Yoon Jong patted the shoulders of his senior and junior brothers, who were about to look for So So. They stepped back and gently set him down.
Yoon Jong took a shaky step and stood in front of Hyun Sang.
“Elder, I…”
Hyun Sang didn’t let him finish and pulled him into a tight hug.
“…”
“You worked hard. You really worked hard.”
Yoon Jong smiled faintly at the emotional voice.
“…I did my part.”
“Did your part? You rascal! Are you showing off or something!”
Hyun Sang let go of Yoon Jong, his eyes red.
He was so proud, his heart was full.
It wasn’t just because Yoon Jong had won or because he had fought so well. It was because of his attitude and the strong will he showed in his sword fighting.
“Go get treatment quickly. You might have some internal injuries.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Yoon Jong turned around. He saw the Five Swords standing together.
Baek Cheon looked proud. Yoo Iseol’s face was still blank, but she was clenching her fist tightly. Jo Gul was biting his lip and looked like he was about to cry.
And…
“I know.”
“…”
“If you fought ten times, you would lose nine times.”
“I know.”
Even Chung Myung said that.
Yoon Jong nodded. He knew it too. Moo Yeon was a better fighter. Yoon Jong still wasn’t as good as Moo Yeon.
“But…”
Chung Myung grinned.
“Winning is all that matters.”
“…”
“Stand up straight. It’s not a big deal to win against someone you can beat. What’s really amazing is winning against someone you can’t beat. You were great, Senior Brother.”
“…What’s gotten into you?”
Yoon Jong was surprised by the unexpected praise from Chung Myung, who usually just nagged him.
But only for a moment. Then, he smiled.
‘This is victory.’
He felt a strange sense of accomplishment, something he hadn’t felt when he did well in sparring or fought against the Ice Palace and the Demonic Sect. He felt emotional and slowly opened his mouth.
“I am…”
“Are you done?”
“…”
Yoon Jong looked to the side. Dang So So was standing there, smiling brightly. She had come without him noticing.
“If you’re finished, let’s go.”
“…Do I have a choice…?”
Yoon Jong followed her like a cow being led to slaughter. The disciples of Mount Hua smiled as they watched.
But they weren’t just happy and laughing. Everyone, both younger and older, learned something from Yoon Jong.
“A continuing sword, huh.”
Baek Cheon stared at Yoon Jong’s back and muttered.
‘Honestly, I’m jealous.’
He was jealous of Yoon Jong’s strong will and determination.
Of course, he knew he shouldn’t feel that way.
But he couldn’t help it. He quickly tried to hide his jealousy.
But.
“Look at Dong Ryong’s face.”
“…”
Ah, that devilish guy.
Baek Cheon glared at Chung Myung.
“Tsk tsk. The rich always want more. So greedy.”
“No, that’s not it…!”
Baek Cheon’s face turned red, and he was about to argue when Chung Myung said quietly.
“Uncle-Master has his own job to do.”
Baek Cheon closed his mouth. He looked into Chung Myung’s eyes and sighed.
“Seriously, that mouth of his…”
He knew that if Yoon Jong was going to lead Mount Hua in the future, then Baek Cheon had to make sure Mount Hua was strong now.
Both jobs were important.
Baek Cheon quietly looked at the disciples. They were all excited because of Jo Gul and Yoon Jong’s victory.
‘They saw hope.’
Jo Gul showed that family history and age didn’t matter. Yoon Jong showed that if you worked hard, you could beat someone more talented.
Of course, they were excited.
“Those damn disciples.”
Even before he stepped onto the stage, he had created an atmosphere. It felt like winning was already decided, even if he didn’t want it to be.
The fighters from both Mount Hua and Wudang were incredibly skilled. Both groups were exceptionally outstanding.
But he was their senior teacher. He couldn’t lose to those brats just yet.
“Watch closely, you lot.”
Baek Cheon gripped his plum blossom sword tightly, heading towards the sparring stage. Or, rather, he intended to head there.
“Going somewhere?”
Chung Myung’s indifferent voice stopped him. Baek Cheon replied as if it were obvious.
“We need to keep this going.”
“Well, that’s not bad either. But…”
“Huh?”
“I wonder if things will go as Senior Teacher expects.”
A knot of worry tightened in Baek Cheon’s stomach. He looked at Chung Myung.
“Should we change the order?”
“No, well…”
Chung Myung chuckled and shook his head.
“That wouldn’t make much difference. You can go. Just win spectacularly.”
Baek Cheon blankly stared at him, not understanding.
If that’s how it was going to be, why did he say such a thing?
“I’ll be back then.”
“Yeah.”
As Baek Cheon walked towards the sparring stage with an uncertain face, Chung Myung smiled bitterly to himself.
“It’s not because they are excellent that they are famous. It’s because they have won that they are famous.”
Now, Baek Cheon would come to know that fact clearly.
The first to greet Mu-yeon as he descended from the sparring stage was Heo San-ja. His glare was surprisingly fierce.
Mu-yeon couldn’t ignore the gaze and stood before Heo San-ja. Heo San-ja, who had been glaring at Mu-yeon as if he would devour him any moment, spoke as if spitting out the words.
“You called it cultivation?”
“…”
“This is about our sect’s honor! Do you care more about your own feelings than our sect’s reputation?”
It was truly a voice filled with daggers.
Even though Mu-yeon was a first-generation disciple and a skilled martial artist worthy of being called one of the Wudang Three Swords, he couldn’t ignore the Elder’s wrath. He sighed briefly and quietly closed his eyes.
But soon, Mu-yeon’s eyes reopened, and they held not a trace of wavering.
“Elder, what meaning is there in honor gained in such a way?”
Heo San-ja’s face contorted at his calm reply.
“…What did you say just now?”
Mu-yeon shook his head slightly and said.
“Honor has meaning when it is rightfully earned. Is not honor gained by insisting on victory in defeat, and concealing one’s own faults, more shameful than receiving finger-pointing for committing wrongdoing?”
Anger boiled over, and Heo San-ja’s face twitched. But Mu-yeon’s words continued firmly.
“It is not because honor is unimportant that I stepped down. It is because honor is important that I stepped down. If I were to conceal my mistake because they did not see it, how could I claim to be a righteous disciple of Wudang?”
Heo San-ja glared at Mu-yeon with gritted teeth and said.
“Have you said all you wanted to say?”
“Elder.”
Seeing the atmosphere turning hostile, Mu-jin subtly stepped forward to calm him down.
“There are eyes watching. Please, calm yourself.”
“…”
“And, as I hear it, Mu-yeon’s words are not entirely wrong.”
“What?”
“Even if they are, they would not be unaware of the mistake Mu-yeon made.”
Even if they didn’t all know, one person would certainly have known.
The Divine Dragon of Mount Hua.
There was no way he wouldn’t have seen what Mu-jin had seen.
“If Mu-yeon had not stepped down there, he might have suffered an even greater humiliation. Haven’t we heard enough rumors of those who underestimated Mount Hua and were humiliated?”
“This…!”
But Heo San-ja’s anger did not subside in the slightest. He gnashed his teeth and exclaimed.
“How foolish!”
They were just saying empty words.
How could they understand?
That the morality they spoke of actually came from leisure.
That the justice they spoke of ultimately came from power.
People struggling to survive can’t easily talk about right and wrong. Those without power can’t demand fairness. These young disciples don’t understand that their ideas of morality and justice come from the sect’s wealth and good name.
‘They are too detached from the world.’
Sharpening their swords and pursuing the Dao solely in the Pure Cultivation Hall might seem reasonable, but in the end, it was the same as being raised in a greenhouse without experiencing the storms of the world.
‘Weaklings who only spout empty words have grown up under the name of a famous sect built by the blood and sweat of their predecessors.’
Heo San-ja’s gaze turned bleak.
He no longer felt the need to argue with them about right and wrong. It was a pointless debate anyway.
What was important now was not what was right.
What was important was that he had to bring back the result of victory. That was the intention and will of the Sect Leader who sent him here.
“Elder. The next opponent is coming up.”
Heo San-ja looked towards the sparring stage with a coldly hardened face. Seeing Baek Cheon slowly walking from the opposite end, he exclaimed in a cold voice.
“You will remain in confinement.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The answer came, but Heo San-ja did not even glance at Mu-yeon until the end. His gaze was solely fixed on Baek Cheon, who was ascending the sparring stage.
‘The Plum Blossom Sword?’
Baek Cheon was called the best among the younger generation of Mount Hua, excluding the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua. Of course, he had not achieved the highest score in past martial arts tournaments, but it was well known that he had defeated Jin Geum-ryong of Jongnam and achieved remarkable results in this Great Byeokche Expedition.
Above all…
‘So far, the ones we have faced were third-generation disciples.’
Even though they were called by the same name of the Five Swords, the difference in seniority could not be ignored. That Baek Cheon was certainly at least one level ahead of Jo Gul or Yoon Jong, who had appeared so far.
Baek Cheon, who had walked to the center of the sparring stage, clasped his hands respectfully.
“I am Baek Cheon, a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
He scanned Wudang once, then fixed his gaze on Mu-jin and said.
“I don’t think I have the right to choose my opponent, but I don’t think it’s wrong for a martial artist to have a desired opponent. If it’s not too much of a disrespect, I would like to cross swords with Great Hero Mu-jin.”
The gazes of the Wudang disciples turned to Mu-jin.
It might seem too forward for a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua to request a spar with a first-generation disciple of Wudang, but in fact, the current situation was not like that.
Considering the performance of the third-generation disciples of Mount Hua so far, and considering the position of the Plum Blossom Sword within Mount Hua, the request for a spar with Mu-jin did not seem too unreasonable.
“Hmm.”
Mu-jin also seemed to think so, as he lightly stroked the Songmun Ancient Sword.
If he couldn’t compete with Chung Myung anyway, wouldn’t it be his job to fight the strongest one besides him?
“I accept that challenge…”
It was then.
“Wait.”
Heo San-ja coldly stopped Mu-jin. Even though his voice was low, it strangely pierced everyone’s ears.